[quote]The Londonderry Town Council unanimously rejected a petition Monday night to consider challenging the new gay marriage law in New Hampshire, which took effect Jan. 1. Since then, opponents have launched an effort to challenge the law by raising the issue at town meetings around the state.[/quote]

I note that the leaders of these anti-gay initiatives are Republican state lawmakers. They're using the gay issue once again for political purposes to win elections. And as the article points out, while New Hampshire is currently in Democratic hands, the Republicans are trying to reverse that, in which case anti-gay laws will get passed, in accordance with their party platform.

OK, so show of hands now: how many here want the Republicans to succeed and pass anti-gay laws? And no cheating; you can't have the one without the other, so no split answers, and pretending Republicans won't pass anti-gay legislation as they themselves are promising to do.

lacrosse_portsmouthuni saidhey gay marriage is legal in the uk why dont yall just come here and do it lol

Because it would still have no value in the US, thanks to DOMA. Supporters of DOMA try to confuse Americans by saying it's just meant to permit states to exercise their right to determine what marriage is.

But in reality DOMA also defines US federal policy on marriage, a strange contradiction, since it's premise is that marriage is a state issue. In any case, your UK gay marriages have no standing here in the US. We'd have to become British citizens and live there to enjoy the full benefits of gay marriage.

Red_Vespa saidI note that the leaders of these anti-gay initiatives are Republican state lawmakers. They're using the gay issue once again for political purposes to win elections. And as the article points out, while New Hampshire is currently in Democratic hands, the Republicans are trying to reverse that, in which case anti-gay laws will get passed, in accordance with their party platform.

OK, so show of hands now: how many here want the Republicans to succeed and pass anti-gay laws? And no cheating; you can't have the one without the other, so no split answers, and pretending Republicans won't pass anti-gay legislation as they themselves are promising to do.

If gay marriage can get shot down in Maine... it can happen in New Hampshire.

And Maine was in Democract hands as well... only one Republican Senator voted for marriage equality.

Politics does not matter much... not nearly as much as scare tactics. We saw the same scare tactics here in Maine as in Cali. And the DNC did zilch for Maine's 'No one 1' campaign.

The bottom line is this:

How sucessful will the religious right be in scaring the public about their GLBT neighbors?

As a resident of New Hampshire, and a gay one at that, I can tell you that, while the chances of marriage equality in NH being repealed (or of the issue even making it to a ballot) are very low, the threat is not being ignored. Most New Hampshire towns are governed by town meetings and there is an active network of people doing their best to make sure the repeal measure is snuffed in its cradle.

The vote in Maine shocked a lot of people in New Hampshire. But there is a broad streak of libertarianism in New Hampshire, which gives the place a live and let live ethos. Provided allowing gays to marry won't raise anybody's taxes, I don't see a problem! In fact, the Republicans who are pushing the repeal issue may be shooting themselves in the foot. Many NH libertarians have until now sort of held their noses and backed the Republicans, but this measure, which seeks to remove a human liberty, offends the sensibilities of many of those voters.

I think the libertarian leanings of many people with long histories in NH combined with the significant populations of solid Democrats and social liberals (many who have moved from Massachusetts over the past ten years) in the southern part of the state, will defeat this nasty, small minded, bigoted campaign.

These right wing lunatics just cannot accept the fact that gay marriage is the law of the land in New Hampshire. They just cannot leave well enough alone. Hopefully the people of New Hampshire will be well adjusted to the concept of gay marriage that they will ignore these petitions which will result in their failure.

OK, so show of hands now: how many here want the Republicans to succeed and pass anti-gay laws?

I seriously don't think there is anyone here who wants Republicans, or anyone else, to succeed in any attempts to repeal "Gay Marriage" laws. That said, there is a difference, like it or not, between "Anti-Gay" and simply "Anti-Gay Marriage".

Red_Vespa saidI note that the leaders of these anti-gay initiatives are Republican state lawmakers. They're using the gay issue once again for political purposes to win elections. And as the article points out, while New Hampshire is currently in Democratic hands, the Republicans are trying to reverse that, in which case anti-gay laws will get passed, in accordance with their party platform.

OK, so show of hands now: how many here want the Republicans to succeed and pass anti-gay laws? And no cheating; you can't have the one without the other, so no split answers, and pretending Republicans won't pass anti-gay legislation as they themselves are promising to do.

Okay....and osama Has been using the race card game to win his election & votes.....is there any difference....all parties use stuff for their political purposes.

hey thats my state. those fuckers. Now if the damn state knew that they gave me (a gay new hampshirite) an award on public tv given to me by the new hampshire senator than they would just drop this crap and never bring it to court again.

"hey gay marriage is legal in the uk why dont yall just come here and do it lol"

You're all most welcome. But sadly gay marriage is NOT legal in the UK. No, instead we have civil partnership. Men and women are married, men and men are civil partnered.

Tony Blair repeatedly failed to place same sex couples on the same level as straight ones and David Cameron for the Conservatives is still calling himself a progressive; but he is not allowing same sex marriage either.

Nick Clegg for The Liberal Democrats (an incendiary name for a political party in the US, I would guess) has argued for same sex marriage, complete removal of discrimination on grounds of orientation and a requirement that faith Schools enforce anti-bullying on orientation grounds. Which is why I'll vote for him.

We'll get there guys. But it'll take a lot more.

And if anyone comes up with that 'If marriage changes its definition it will be changed substantially and therefore destroyed' neo-platonist crap, just remember that in England and many states in the US a contract used to be an agreement between a man and a man.

I didn't notice commercial life grind to a halt when women were allowed to trade...

Mikeylikesit saidOkay....and osama Has been using the race card game to win his election & votes.....is there any difference....all parties use stuff for their political purposes.

Now why are you using the Republican tactic of changing the subject? First, your slander against Obama is untrue. But second, even if it were true, what is its relevance to the danger that gays face from Republican lawmakers?

Oh, I get it: Democrats aren't always perfect, so in return we gays must not complain about Republicans, no matter what they do to us? Sounds fair to me!

Yeah, right... I see this so many times. Every time Republicans get caught red-handed, their actions indefensible, as in this latest instance of denying gays our civil rights, the fall-back position is: ALL politicians are corrupt, ALL are bad, from both parties. If they can't wipe the mud from their own faces, they try to fling some on the other guys, so people get confused as to who is at fault.

Sorry, but that doesn't fly any more. And certainly not regarding gay rights. Let's get our facts right: the Republicans are the perennial bad guys and instigators here, the declared enemies of gays, not the Democrats. At worst the Dems are weak supporters, but not the fanatical gay haters the Repubs are, as their party actions have proven.